By Canadian Press

In the news today: PM meeting steelworkers, Ontario chiefs cry foul, Alberta next?

Jul 16, 2025 | 2:17 AM

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Carney heads to Hamilton to meet steelworkers

Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to be in Hamilton today to make an announcement related to the steel industry.

It has been more than a month since U.S. President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25 to 50 per cent, adding further economic insult to the two industries in Canada.

Carney met with his cabinet virtually on Tuesday and told reporters before that meeting he doesn’t think Trump will agree to any trade deals without including some tariffs.

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Carney will tour a steel company in the city and meet with workers during his visit to Hamilton.

Carney and Trump have been negotiating a new economic and security pact since early May, and last week, Trump unilaterally pushed the deadline for reaching that from July 21 to Aug. 1.

Chiefs of Ontario say Ottawa acting unfairly

The Chiefs of Ontario say Ottawa is levelling an unfair playing field for chiefs in a meeting planned with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss the government’s controversial major projects legislation.

Carney promised in June that he would meet with First Nations after chiefs said their rights were not respected by the rush to push the bill through Parliament.

Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act, allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines by sidestepping existing laws.

An email was sent to chiefs on July 9 opening up registration for the meeting and the Chiefs of Ontario said it was initially able to register chiefs as well as legal advisers, technical and support staff to attend.

Second Alberta Next panel to meet in Edmonton

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her panel of appointees will hear from another town hall today on the province’s game plan to push back against the federal government.

The first Alberta Next town hall in Red Deer yesterday saw most attendees applaud ideas aimed at seizing control from Ottawa.

That includes pulling out of the Canada Pension Plan and creating a provincial police force to replace the RCMP.

Tonight, the panel will be pitching its tent in Edmonton, a city that remains a political stronghold for the Opposition NDP, led by Naheed Nenshi.

Officials tracking measles outbreak in N.B.

Public health officials in New Brunswick are continuing to track the extent of a measles outbreak in the province’s south-central region.

Officials on Tuesday reported three confirmed infections and five probable cases in Sussex, N.B.

The first case was reported a week ago in the region, involving a person who travelled to the area from another province between June 22 and June 23.

Dr. Kimberley Barker, regional medical officer of health for Sussex, says there could be more infected people in the area, including those with symptoms who are staying home and not seeking medical care.

Foodtastic built a $1B empire. It’s still hungry

As he sits in the back office of a Pita Pit in Kingston, Ont., on a recent Thursday morning, restaurant impresario Peter Mammas is all smiles.

His rosy demeanour defies the tariff storm and customer cutbacks roiling his industry but reflects the optimism he’s feeling around the future of his restaurant conglomerate, Foodtastic.

The nine-year-old, Montreal-based business has 1,200 locations across its 27 chains, which include Second Cup, Milestones, Freshii and Quesada. Mammas wants the empire to grow bigger and better, with the goal of tripling its sales to $3 billion in the next five years.

People with Down syndrome living longer but still dying prematurely: study

Janet Charchuk knows that having Down syndrome puts her at higher risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease at a younger age than the average person.

“It is something that I do worry about at times,” she said in an interview from her home in Alberton, P.E.I.

But she’s doing everything she can to prevent it.

“Your diet, your sleep, exercise,” Charchuk said.

“(Having) friends and being social and doing brain exercises.”

Her favourite brain exercise is word searches. She also stays physically active and social, working at an equine therapy ranch, competing in the Special Olympics and serving on the board of advocacy group Down Syndrome International.

At 42, Charchuk is among the growing number of people with Down syndrome living well into adulthood. A recent study estimates there were 22,367 people with the developmental disability in Canada as of 2020 — with 30 per cent of them age 40 and older.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2025

The Canadian Press